I do NOT want 'loop' recording! Also...

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Been going nuts trying to find a dash cam on Amazon that doesn't force loop recording. After a few hours of frustration I came here to ask for help. First post.

I don't mind if the cam offers loop recording, as long as I can disable it. I want it to record straight ahead until the card is full and then stop. All of them I checked on Amazon say they do loop recording, but none say anything about it being an option. I never want it to overwrite earlier recordings. This is priority one.

Next, I need simple offload - the SD card should look just like any other USB drive as far as my Windows PC is concerned. Allow a 64 gig or bigger card is a plus. It must save the files in a format that I can drag directly into VLC Media Player, no special software required. Mp4, Mkv, Avi, Mpg, Mov, whatever, just so it's not proprietary.

Also, better than ten minute file breaks. Ten minutes is the max I found so far. I want a half hour at the very least, with an hour preferred. (Is the 10 minute limit due to a 2 gig file size restriction? If so, I'd be willing to lower resolution to get greater file time span.)

And of course sharp 1080p resolution. Finally, I don't care about GPS or impact detection or any of the other bells and whistles I saw featured in my shopping effort.

I have a cheapo little handheld camera about 6 years old that does all of this, except it's 640x480 resolution. Seems there should be a modern camera with high resolution that can do it all, without forcing unwanted 'features' on me.

So... is there a camera that fits the bill?
 
Loop recording is present in all dash cams and AFAIK most will allow turning the feature off, if not all.
 
99% have a loop off option, not using loop can be problematic for some though, some will lose footage when starting the next file, some will fail at that point, all will have file size limitations, the selectable segment sizes do not apply when loop is disabled
 
Several cam's (in fact most of the good ones) meet your requirements except for file length. Most limit files to 5 minutes maximum. Do a Google search for the manuals on the ones you're interested in to see what the available settings are. Don't always believe the maximum card size stated, check these forums for it as many cams will work with larger cards than advertised but many won't.

And welcome to DCT :)

Phil
 
As soon as loop is turned off the segment sizes don't apply, don't recall any that allow you to select a segment length and loop off
 
I'm sure you're right- I've never looked as I always loop record.

Phil
 
Really they need loop record as a basic function if they are to be relied upon as a dashcam, it's an important enough issue that we actually removed the option to turn loop off from our firmware altogether
 
If I remember correctly if loop is off then max size dashcam can record in one file was around 4GB ?

Sent from my LG-H962 using Tapatalk
 
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I think he wants an action cam. :) Are there any that will record with external power ?
 
If I remember correctly if loop is off then max size dashcam can record in one file was around 4GB ?...
That's a limitation of the FAT32 format which virtually all dash cams use. Once the 4GB file size is reached the cams that I'm aware of will stop recording completely. The only option then is to manually restart.
 
That's a limitation of the FAT32 format which virtually all dash cams use. Once the 4GB file size is reached the cams that I'm aware of will stop recording completely. The only option then is to manually restart.
Same thoughts here.


Sent from my LG-H962 using Tapatalk
 
- Loop recording is present in all dash cams

Thanks Harsh.

- the selectable segment sizes do not apply when
- loop is disabled

Well if that isn't the stupidest restriction I've ever heard of. "I'll break into in segments for you, and keep going until the card is full, as long as you let me continually destroy the earliest segments. No destruction? No segments for you!" - The Segment Nazi

- Do a Google search for the manuals on
- the ones you're interested in

That's just it... I'm not interested in any. I'm hoping for some specific make and model recommendations from the community here.

- And welcome to DCT

Thanks Phil :)

- we actually removed the option to turn loop off

Thanks Jokiin, at least that narrows the field for me. I'll be sure to eliminate Street Guardian from my searches.

- If I remember correctly if loop is off then
- max size dashcam can record in one file was
- around 4GB

It's 2 gigs on my old handheld, which is Fat32. I can live with either one.

- I think he wants an action cam

Uh... he's standing right here. I don't care what it's called as long as it does what I want. I've been using my cheap little 640x480 on a tiny tripod on the dash. No kidding! It runs for 29 minutes (just under 2 gigs) and then stops, regardless of whether the card is full. What could be so difficult about restarting and continuing until the card is full? Oh wait, some honyock programmed it not to do that UNLESS I allow it to destroy earlier recordings. The stupidity+arrogance combination required to create and enforce such a restriction boggles my mind. By the way, I have a hundred feet of rope to sell you, but I'll only sell it in 5 foot segments. Also, I get to continually reach past you and snatch back and burn the earliest segments you bought. Fair enough?

Recap:
) 1080p or better
) Prevent loop recording
) Simple drag and drop copy from within Windows Explorer
) Common media format playable in VLC
) Half hour or better file segments (I despair of finding this one)

So. Does anyone have any specific make and model recommendations?
 
Screenshot capture from Mobius software:

 
That's a limitation of the FAT32 format which virtually all dash cams use. Once the 4GB file size is reached the cams that I'm aware of will stop recording completely. The only option then is to manually restart.

some cameras will stop at the file size limitation, some will continue but with a bit of a pause
 
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With 64GB and 128 GB cards working in many cams, you can easily get over 8 hours recording before looping begins (@64GB) so there's a different solution available which might solve your problem of lost older clips ;)

As mine also act as security cams where I sometimes need 8 hour+ coverage, I just use those larger cards with looping which allows me a much wider range of cams to choose from :cool:

Unless you're willing to build your own cams, we're all limited to whatever is being offered for sale. Cams built for the masses are all going to have the features the masses want. so if you want something else.... :( That's just the way the world works and sometimes a work-around is the only way to get what you want.

Phil
 
Screenshot from latest JooVuu PC software:

-

 
does it allow you to set loop off and still separate the clips into different lengths or does setting loop off just fall back to continuous by default?

I haven't tried because it's not the way I would run a dashcam, but my suspicion is that it would write clips of the length specified and stop recording once the card is full.
 
I haven't tried because it's not the way I would run a dashcam, but my suspicion is that it would write clips of the length specified and stop recording once the card is full.

not how I would use it either but if it does do that then it would probably be the only suitable option for the OP
 
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